This disclosure generally relates to user authentication, and more specifically to using biometric information for authenticating user access to various content sources.
Conventionally, biometric information, such as fingerprints, is used to regulate access to a local computing system or to a physical location. For example, biometric information is used to unlock a smartphone or to regulate access to a secure area of a data center. However, users increasingly access content from various content sources, such as applications or systems external to a client device associated with the user.
Typically, content sources use different authentication systems to identify users authorized to access the content sources. As an example, different content sources associate different login credentials with a user, requiring the user to separately provide different login credentials to access different content sources. While certain content sources may use single-sign on systems or central authentication services, which allow a user to access various content sources using a common login credential, many content sources do not use such authentication methods. Additionally, conventional content sources do not use biometric data to authorize a user accessing content from a device external to the content sources.
The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein.